Thresher and separator of grain



l c. lR; souLE.V

Straw Carrier..v

"Patented- 1an. 24,1854.`

UNITED sTATEs PATENT opEEicE.

CHARLES R. SOULE, OF FAIRFIELD, VERMONT.`

THRESHER AND sEPAEAToE or erEAnv.`

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,461, dated January 24, 1854.

T 0 all 10h-0m, t may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES R. SoULE, of Faireld, in the county` of Franklin and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction ofy Machinery for Threshing and Cleaning Grain; and 'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, in which- V Figure l is a vertical section through the machine longitudinally. Fig. 2 .is a sideA elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan of the underside of the guide board and shoe. Fig. 4, the shoe, with its mode of suspension.

The nature of my invention consists in the arrangement and construction of the straw-carrier, the beaters connected therewith, theJ shoe and its appendages, and the movable board under the straw screen.

The advantages are, rst, a reduction of the length of the 'straw-carrier, together with a perfect separation, a better mode of vibrating the shoe, and a guard against injury from getting a stone into the machine.

The construction of the parts is as follows: I form the frame of two posts (a, a) on each side, which stand bracing at an angle of about 45, the bearing of the threshing cylinder (b) being at their junction a. On one side of the cylinder (b) is the feeding trough (c), which terminates in a thin piece of metal (d), that may be divided into two or three divisions, more or less, if need be. This thin strip of metal reaches to the concave, and closes the space between it and the other portion of the trough. The concave and cylinder are of ordinary construction, and the effect is, when a stone or other hard substance that would be likely to injure the machine gets into it, it is by the cylinder thrown down with a force suiiicient to spring down the metal (CZ), and escape below lthe concave without damage to the operation of the machine. The parts beyond the concave are for carrying off the straw, and cleaning andseparating the grain. The first operation is to remove the straw; and for this purpose a stationary trough (e) extends from the thresher upward, at an inclination of ten to fifteen degrees, more or less. The sides of this trough (6,) are close, the bottom is composed of slats,I like a Venetian blind. Above this, and moving endways over it up and down, is a set of bars, (f,) notched on their upper edges, as clearly shown'in section, Fig. 1. They are connected with a cross head (f,) which slides on guidel rods (9,) fixed in the sides of the frame. As these bars slide back toward the thresher the sides of the notches inclined to the plane of motion on the upper edges of the bars slip under the straw without carrying it back, while on returning the sides of the notches perpendicular to said plane of motion catch the 'straw and push it forward. Two pitmen (7L), one on each side of the frame, connect it with cranks on the axis of a beater (2,) that is located just above said bars (f,); and, in its revolutions, beats out the grain as the straw passesV forward from the threshing cylinder. This beater is covered with a-cap which extends'down, covering the trough`to the cylinder, and up for some distance beyond, terminating inV a valve (la) which falls down'upon the straw, and prevents any grain from flying out of the machine from the cylinder in that direction. Below the stationary slats (e) there is a bottom board at (m,) having a vibrating motion, the same as the bars (f,) above named; the cuter end of this board is suspended by straps (m), and the inner end is supported upon-a cross lever (0,) below it. This lever (0,) has its fulcrum in the frame at (0,) on one side, and extends across through the other stationary side of the machine, where it connects with an upright lever ofthe second order, having its fulcrum at (yn), the

lever `v(0,) being connected with it at its center; and its upper end connected by a pitman (p,) with the cross head ofthe bars (f,) above named. The lever (0,) is jointed to the board (711,), at is center. The shoe (g) is suspended by straps to the machine in the ordinary place, but so that both ends can be moved equally. It receives the grain from the vibrating board which by its vibrations insures the descent ofthe grain to the shoe, keeping all the parts clear. Besides the suspending straps, the shoe is guided and cont-rolled in its motion by two horizontal rods (r), one end ofy each of which are jointed to the side of the shoe, the other to the side of the machine. at right angles to and forming a part of Allarm the lever (o) is jointed to the shoe, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and causes its sideway vibratlon. The screens, rake, &c., are llke those of ordinary shoes; and the fan (s) for blast is located in the usual place,"below the thresher. The bars (f) described above in the straw carrier are to be about three inches apart in the machine, extending up to the valve (7c), beyond which every other oneof said bars projects nearly or quite to the tip of the slats. This causes the straw to move faster till it gets beyond the valve, than it does afterward by which the straw gathers up Vand the grain is more entirely separated.

Having thus fully described my improved threshing machine, what I claim therein as grain.

3. I also claim the mode of hanging and moving the shoe, as above described.

CHARLES R. SOULE.

Witnesses:

WM. GrREENOUGH, THos. E. WARREN. 

